10/22/2021 LEGO BRICKS OF LIFE
BBS 1001
MELINA BARBUT SIVA
FHML
, LEGO Bricks of Life Summary
LECTURE 1: CHEMICAL EVOLUTION
PART 1: AROSE OF LIFE
What are the general characteristics of organisms?
1. Energy production
2. Production of enzymes based on DNA
3. DNA replication
What is the hypothesis for life?
1. Biological evolution theory (Charles Darwin)
a. All forms of life originated from common ancestors by natural selection
2. Biogenesis (Louis Pasteur)
a. Life evolves from other life (does not occur spontaneously)
What is the hypothesis for the origin of life (OoL)/ how did first life arise?
1. Panspermia hypothesis
a. Life exists through universe (not just on Earth) and it travels via space dust,
comets...
b. This does not answer how did life arose, just places the origin of life somewhere
else
2. Abiogenesis or Chemical evolution
a. Life originated from lifeless matter
b. What/who is the last universal common ancestor (LUCA)
What are the explanations for abiogenesis?
1. Oparin-Haldane hypothesis
a. Reducing atmosphere + energy source = small organic molecules would arise
b. Larger molecules can be built from small molecules + energy
2. Urey-Miller Experiment
a. From 4 molecules more than 20 molecules are created
PART 2: BUILDING BLOCKS OF CELLS
In order to make enzymes, enzymes are needed. How can this be solved?
• To solve this, you need a molecule that;
o Is an information carrier
o Is a product
o Can replicate itself
o Can be easily made
1
, o Gives rise to variation
• RNA has all of these qualifications
What is RNA World Hypothesis?
• It states that RNA was the primary living substance due to its ability to function as both
genes and proteins.
• Ribozyme is an enzyme made of RNA
• RNA = ribose + base + phosphate
• With heat and small organic molecules ribose and pyrimidine base can evolve and later
on give arise to different matters
• RNA world hypothesis is not a scientific theory, there is just a little experimental
evidence showing that it might have happened
What is Iron-Sulfur Hypothesis?
• It is an alternative hypothesis for RNA World Hypothesis
• It states that early life may have arose from iron sulfide
• RNA world hypothesis is more likely to be accepted
What are the unsolved factors in both hypothesis?
• Homochirality
o Chiral: if the mirror image is different the object is chiral
• Sugars and amino acids are chiral
2
, CASE 1: FATS AND SUGARS
PART 1: NUTRIENTS
What are nutrients?
• Nutrients are components in food that organisms can use for survival and growth.
• There are 2 types of nutrients;
1. Macronutrients
a. Sugars (carbohydrate), fats (lipids) and proteins
b. They provide energy
2. Micronutrients
a. Vitamins, minerals and spore elements
b. They are useful co-factors for metabolism
PART 2: CARBOHYDRATES
What is the function of carbohydrates?
They provide energy
What are the forms of carbohydrates?
1. Monosaccharides
a. Glucose (alpha glucose and beta glucose)
b. Fructose
c. Galactose
d. Ribose (DNA and RNA)
2. Disaccharides
a. Lactose
b. Sucrose
c. Maltose
3. Polysaccharides
a. Starch
b. Glycogen
c. Cellulose
What is the basic formula of carbohydrates?
CnH2nOn
Function of glucose
• C6H12O6
• Naturally occurring
• Occurs in photosynthesis
• Circulates in our blood
3
BBS 1001
MELINA BARBUT SIVA
FHML
, LEGO Bricks of Life Summary
LECTURE 1: CHEMICAL EVOLUTION
PART 1: AROSE OF LIFE
What are the general characteristics of organisms?
1. Energy production
2. Production of enzymes based on DNA
3. DNA replication
What is the hypothesis for life?
1. Biological evolution theory (Charles Darwin)
a. All forms of life originated from common ancestors by natural selection
2. Biogenesis (Louis Pasteur)
a. Life evolves from other life (does not occur spontaneously)
What is the hypothesis for the origin of life (OoL)/ how did first life arise?
1. Panspermia hypothesis
a. Life exists through universe (not just on Earth) and it travels via space dust,
comets...
b. This does not answer how did life arose, just places the origin of life somewhere
else
2. Abiogenesis or Chemical evolution
a. Life originated from lifeless matter
b. What/who is the last universal common ancestor (LUCA)
What are the explanations for abiogenesis?
1. Oparin-Haldane hypothesis
a. Reducing atmosphere + energy source = small organic molecules would arise
b. Larger molecules can be built from small molecules + energy
2. Urey-Miller Experiment
a. From 4 molecules more than 20 molecules are created
PART 2: BUILDING BLOCKS OF CELLS
In order to make enzymes, enzymes are needed. How can this be solved?
• To solve this, you need a molecule that;
o Is an information carrier
o Is a product
o Can replicate itself
o Can be easily made
1
, o Gives rise to variation
• RNA has all of these qualifications
What is RNA World Hypothesis?
• It states that RNA was the primary living substance due to its ability to function as both
genes and proteins.
• Ribozyme is an enzyme made of RNA
• RNA = ribose + base + phosphate
• With heat and small organic molecules ribose and pyrimidine base can evolve and later
on give arise to different matters
• RNA world hypothesis is not a scientific theory, there is just a little experimental
evidence showing that it might have happened
What is Iron-Sulfur Hypothesis?
• It is an alternative hypothesis for RNA World Hypothesis
• It states that early life may have arose from iron sulfide
• RNA world hypothesis is more likely to be accepted
What are the unsolved factors in both hypothesis?
• Homochirality
o Chiral: if the mirror image is different the object is chiral
• Sugars and amino acids are chiral
2
, CASE 1: FATS AND SUGARS
PART 1: NUTRIENTS
What are nutrients?
• Nutrients are components in food that organisms can use for survival and growth.
• There are 2 types of nutrients;
1. Macronutrients
a. Sugars (carbohydrate), fats (lipids) and proteins
b. They provide energy
2. Micronutrients
a. Vitamins, minerals and spore elements
b. They are useful co-factors for metabolism
PART 2: CARBOHYDRATES
What is the function of carbohydrates?
They provide energy
What are the forms of carbohydrates?
1. Monosaccharides
a. Glucose (alpha glucose and beta glucose)
b. Fructose
c. Galactose
d. Ribose (DNA and RNA)
2. Disaccharides
a. Lactose
b. Sucrose
c. Maltose
3. Polysaccharides
a. Starch
b. Glycogen
c. Cellulose
What is the basic formula of carbohydrates?
CnH2nOn
Function of glucose
• C6H12O6
• Naturally occurring
• Occurs in photosynthesis
• Circulates in our blood
3
